Friday, December 5

Tag: Pitlochry Festival Theatre

A Toast Fae the Lassies – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

A Toast Fae the Lassies – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

A widow, a mother, and a mistress walk into a bar—sorry, graveyard—to mourn the loss of the recently deceased Robert Burns. On seeing the other women there, the group soon end up reminiscing and sparring with each other over their relationships to the late poet and his proclivities. Generously peppered with well-known Burns’ songs, A Toast Fae The Lassies both celebrates Burns as a poet while reprimanding his behaviour as a man through the eyes of the women in his life. The songs are, of course, the highlight of this play, with musical direction and arrangement by Alyson Orr, who also plays Agnes Broun, Burns’ mother. Orr brings spirit to the stage with her charming arrangements, performed beautifully by herself and the rest of the cast. Chris Coxon accompanies the singing on the guitar...
The Great Gatsby – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

The Great Gatsby – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Set in the grand manor of Jay Gatsby in 1922, Pitlochry Festival Theatre presents us with Elizabeth Newman’s dreamy adaptation of The Great Gatsby as part of their 2025 Summer repertoire.  With a winding imperial staircase, sheer curtains that drift in the breeze, and a magnificent art-deco style glass chandelier, Jen McGinley’s set design establishes the splendour and veil over New York in the roaring twenties.  The band sits atop the staircase, observing the mayhem below them unfold from behind their white-rimmed glasses.  As in Pitlochry’s latest production of grease, the cast act in the play as well as making up the band.  Accompanying the play with classic jazz standards, setting the tone for Gatsby’s (played by Oraine Johnson) raucous parties. The story unfolds...
The 39 Steps – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

The 39 Steps – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film, Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s revival of The 39 Steps features femme fatales, a runaway convict, police chases, and a healthy number of sheep.  The film and the play both share an almost identical narrative structure and much of the dialogue has been lifted straight out of the film and into the play - however they couldn’t feel more different to each other.  The play is a spoof of the classic film, and while it still maintains the dry, sarcastic humour of the film, it relies heavily on slapstick comedy.  I was especially pleased to see the iconic train scream being absolutely nailed because nothing is more camp than that.  With only four actors, but about 150 characters, it was a marvel to watch the cast rapidly battling with jac...
This is a Gift – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

This is a Gift – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

In a continuation of Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 2025 Summer programme, This is a Gift brings a fresh contemporary take on the legend of Midas.  Rather than a King being the one granted with the gift of the midas touch, it is a working class shopkeeper from Leith - the Father of Zoe, the narrator of this one-woman show.  Written by Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir, This is a Gift subverts from the original tale and puts the gift in a position where it is wanted out of need not greed.  But is money the root of all evil - is it worth the sacrifice?  This play asks us how far we will go to provide for the ones we love. The one hour-and-twenty run time flew by thanks to Sigfúsdóttir’s fast-paced writing and Blythe Jandoo’s (who plays Zoe) punchy performance.  And with th...
Grease – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

Grease – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The classic rock and rollin’, bunny hoppin’ musical Grease lands at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre this week after kicking off their run at the Blackpool Grand Theatre earlier this month. Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre have worked together to co-produce this rough and ready production, showcasing the enterprise opportunities that come with collaborating both financially and creatively.  Not only allowing for more freedom with budget, but also (very importantly) allowing this show to provide accessible commercial theatre for those more rural theatre scenes.  With no typical-style ensemble and no typical-style band, the cast are tasked with acting, singing and dancing all while playing the score of Grease themselves.  Jan (Leah Jamieson) rocks out...
Grease The Musical – Blackpool Grand
North West

Grease The Musical – Blackpool Grand

Grease is back in Blackpool, and it's bringing all the nostalgic charm and infectious energy that fans adore. This co-production between Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre delivers a fresh take on the classic, blending dynamic performances with a live on-stage band to create an immersive experience. From the very first announcement the audience were transported back to the 1950s world of Rydell High. The cast's enthusiasm is obvious from their smiles and energy as they take the stage, with standout performances that breathe new life into beloved characters. Blythe Jandoo shines as Sandy, showcasing the character’s innocence throughout the show, delivering a beautiful and heartfelt rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," while Alexander Service's portrayal of Danny ...
Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Scotland

Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Featuring in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Summer lineup, Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed has been produced by Firebrand Theatre Company and Pitlochry Festival Theatre for a second time following the success of the play’s first run in 2024.  The biographical play explores the life of famous female Scottish writer Nan Shepherd, the first woman to be printed on a Royal Bank of Scotland banknote.  This play paints a ghostly portrait of Nan’s mental deterioration throughout time, while simultaneously highlighting the headstrong, vibrant and vigorous way in which she carried herself through life.  Although we see glimpses of nan’s childhood, as well as her time in a nursing home, the brunt of the story is told when an American reporter comes to interview her about her close friend...
Nessie – The Studio, Edinburgh
Scotland

Nessie – The Studio, Edinburgh

Produced by Capital Theatres & Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Nessie, is a family-orientated tale of friendship, set to music with nods towards global warming, climate change and clean energy production that plays out a bit like a tick-box exercise for the 21st Century. However, from the reactions, the ooos and awwws, of the younger audience members and their quiet attention for 80 minutes it certainly seems to hit its target. And that, as we all know, is no easy feat! The life-sized puppets of Otter, ‘Oggie’ played by Keith Macpherson and Grey Heron ‘Heather’, operated by Alison Orr play a big role and are certainly cute and cuddly. And star of the show Nessa operated by Eden Barrie has a gurgling prehensile presence and a clever operation which allows her to be handled and operated r...
A Streetcar Named Desire – The Lyceum, Edinburgh
Scotland

A Streetcar Named Desire – The Lyceum, Edinburgh

This is a thrilling production of a great play by Tennessee Williams. It pulsates with raw energy and gripped the packed house at The Lyceum. The Pitlochry Festival Theatre production, directed with panache by Elizabeth Newman, has a stellar cast and an innovative creative team. When 30-something Blanche DuBois unexpectedly turns up at the small downstairs apartment rented by her younger sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley, she thinks she’s come to the wrong address. Blanche was expecting something better than this poky apartment in a poor area of New Orleans ironically called ‘Elysian Fields’. Blanche has been used to the grandeur of Belle Reve, the family plantation in Mississippi. But although Blanche has a trunk full of pretty clothes, she has to admit to Stella that ...
Elizabeth Newman talks about Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 2024 Summer season
NEWS

Elizabeth Newman talks about Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 2024 Summer season

Under Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman’s astute leadership Pitlochry Festival Theatre has not only undergone a massive refurbishment but delivered a range of challenging and popular pieces of work for their loyal Perthshire audience. This year’s summer season in their Main Auditorium includes a revival of the 80s classic Footloose, and their version of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. There’s also a world première of Frances Poet’s new stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and the welcome return of the theatre’s award-winning production of Shirley Valentine that really pulled in the crowds last time they staged it. In The Studio space there are premières of Harry Mould’s new play The Brenda Line, and a production of Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed. Outside i...